Review of Talkinar No 4

The Harley-Davidson brand has been cruising the world’s roads for almost 120 years. Originally coming from motorsport and first attracting attention with victories in flat track and hill climb tournaments, Harley machines have also proven to be fascinating engineering achievements over the decades. And so, over the years, this continuity has engendered a strong, yet heterogeneous, fan base, which above all has one thing in common – the cult of the brand and the coolness to live it. But what unites Harley customers? Is it the obvious, yet perhaps also stereotypical characteristics such as tattoos, cool clothes and a long beard? Far from it. It’s the hunger for timeless adventures – freedom for the soul. 

But how do you manage to make the brand grow into a cult brand with appeal beyond the usual street scene – convincing even those doubters who can’t afford or don’t want one of the iconic machines to embark on the journey too? Strong merchandising should come as no surprise. Here, too, the history goes back to the first track races – where the obvious branding was simply used to identify your own riders. Even today, branding from that time is still part of the now huge collection.  

Yet even a brand like Harley cannot ignore the future – as can be seen from the fact that it was the first to venture into 2-wheeled electric mobility at a very early stage. Far ahead of everyone else in the market, they transformed the brand core into a new world and ultimately created their own brand – a brand set to be positioned totally independently on the market from next year. Here, too, the focus is on freedom of soul. In this sense – Let's free the soul! 

Thanks Nils for your time and these cool insights!